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Director Pearce Wagner) with my request to train at the gym and he upped the ante by suggesting we begin an entire program to teach this unique circus acrobatic specialty.” Ms. Turkle was fortunate enough to turn her love of the circus arts into an occupation, but it’s not possible for everyone. But even dabbling casually comes with benefits. “It’s an amazing way to stay in shape, because you don’t miss anything,” she explained. The strenuous positions that performers must learn require total-body conditioning. From smaller muscles in the fingers and toes to larger groups like the abdominals and back muscles, every part of the body has to be prepared to allow a performer to stay in control while suspended in the air without a harness. With that in mind, the introductory classes start with the basics, helping students to build muscle and increase flexibility, by just hanging from the apparatus. The next step, Ms. Turkle said, is to complete an inversion — that is, to reach the point of being able to put one’s hips and feet above one’s head, and to hang upside down. Reaching this milestone, however, is much more difficult than it sounds. The circus arts are similar to ballet in that you have to “work very hard to make it look effortless,” Ms. Turkle said. Ms. Turkle herself took ballet classes as a child, and began yoga and rock climbing as she got older. During college, she worked in a rock climbing gym, and one day accompanied a friend to a circus arts class on a whim. Given her experience with dance, she was immediately hooked. “I liked the artistic element of
the aerial rope, which I wasn’t getting from just rock climbing,” she said. She found that she was thinking more creatively again while learning to perform aerial routines. “To me, aerials are all about shape. The shapes you can make with your body and the apparatus, and with your partner’s body if you have a partner.” But the artistic side of the circus arts isn’t limited to the physical act of performing a routine, Ms. Turkle said. A performer will often choose music to accompany a routine, and might even perform alongside musicians. In addition, the fabric of the aerial silks comes in a wide variety of colors, and can be coordinated with a performer’s costume for visual contrast. Since classes started in early September, the circus arts program has filled up. The fall session currently boasts about 40 enrolled participants, divided into three age groups, from bubbly 7-year-olds to mellower older students. The mother of one secondgrader stressed that her daughter loved the individuality of the circus arts, because she wasn’t very interested in team sports. “We’ve tried other sports, but this has been the one she’s been
super excited about,” she said. She also noted that her daughter enjoyed doing something that none of her friends had tried or even heard of. The same mom expressed her happiness with instructor Moni Santini-Kelly. “The teacher is amazing! Absolutely amazing. And you can tell the kids really look up to her.” A student from one of the adult classes echoed this sentiment. “I signed up because the class sounded absurd and interesting,” he recalled. “ I was surprised to find that many of the aerial techniques are similar to rock climbing self-rescue and high angle rescue protocols.” Like Ms. Turkle, he found that the circus arts aren’t as mysterious and exotic as they initially sound, and happily incorporated the classes into his weekly routine. Signups for the winter session of Circus Arts classes begin on Dec. 9. Fees can range from $200 to $700 a session. Go to tinyurl.com/MP-circusarts to register or find out more.
Above: Instructor Moni SantiniKelly helps a student prepare the wrap for the “star drop.” Below: Students in an “introduction to aerial” class practice the French climb.
TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY ARCHITECTURAL AND SITE CONTROL COMMISSIONER NEEDED The Portola Valley Town Council is seeking an individual to serve on the Town's Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASCC) through January 2017. The ASCC consists of five members appointed by the Town Council, and meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. The ASCC is charged with the review and approval of design review applications and site development permits, including applications for new homes, second units, larger additions, second story additions, and commercial buildings. In addition, the ASCC provides comments on conditional use permits, subdivisions, variances and other matters referred by the Town Council, the Planning Commission, or Town Staff. To apply, please submit a letter of interest to the Town Council by 5pm on Wednesday, January 15, 2014. The Town Council will conduct interviews at its regularly scheduled meeting on January 22, 2014. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Karen Kristiansson, Deputy Town Planner, by email at kkristiansson@portolavalley.net or by phone at 650-851-1700 x212.
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